Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, has attracted the ire of Catholic Bishops and members of the Knighthood for dragging the Pope’s name into the Muslim-Muslim ticket debate in Nigeria.
Quest Times reliably gathered that the Plateau State Governor is likely to face severe sanctions from the Catholic church for disparaging the Pope’s name while justifying his appointment as the Director General of the APC presidential campaign organisation.
According to the source, Governor Lalong’s Knights Medalists honour may be withdrawn as the body gets set to meet over the matter.
The Bishops will issue a statement thereafter.
National President of Papal Knights and Medalists in Nigeria, (APKMN), Dame Dr Esther Uduehi, has already expressed the disappointment of all Papal Honorees in Nigeria over the governor’s comment, adding that the statement credited to the governor has brought the revered image and person of the Holy Father, the Pope, into disrepute.
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Dame Uduehi, in a letter said: “my dear Sir Simon Lalong, Governor of Plateau State, I write to you as the National President of Papal Knights and Medalists in Nigeria, (APKMN), to express the disappointment of all Papal Honorees in Nigeria at a statement credited to you which would tend to bring the revered image and person of the Holy Father, the Pope into your Local Politics.
“Your action, to say the least, is not only disappointing but condemnable and not expected of a Catholic and more so of a Papal Knight.
“The Holy father is a busy man and does not interact with individuals so easily as you will want Nigerians to believe. I have been mandated by all Papal Knights and Medalists in Nigeria who feel betrayed by your statement to ask you to produce evidence of your claim or refute the statement credited to you.
“An ardent Catholic and a Papal honoree at that, ought to know where and when to apply the brakes in discussing issues of the Church.
“No true Catholic, no matter his/her position in the society, will deliberately politicize the revered name of the Pope for the purpose of a position in a localized political matter of any country.
“The executive of the Association of Papal Knights and Medalists in Nigeria will be meeting to take a decision and make recommendations to CBCN and thereafter to the Papal Nuncio.”